The Tipi Raisers / Ti Ikciya Pa Slata Pi is a 501(c) 3 (non profit) organization registered in the state of South Dakota. All donations are tax deductible. The nonprofit was originally founded in 2009 as the Buffalo Boy Foundation. When it changed leadership in 2012 the Lakota elders on the board felt that the name should be given in ceremony. Ti Ikciya Pa Slata Pi was the name that came out of an ensuing Inipi Ceremony (sweat lodge) on Pine Ridge. The elders had some difficulty coming up with a translation for what they heard that night but ultimately agreed The Tipi Raisers would be a loose translation. The elders shared that the concept of "Ti Ikciya Pa Slata Pi", represents this idea of everyone coming together in a reciprocal exchange of community building.
The nonprofit has its origins and has been deeply engaged with the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation but our outreach also includes Cheyenne River, Navajo Nation and Ute reservations. The administrative office is located in Colorado and the Youth Ambassadors, drummers and elders travel to Colorado quite frequently to engage in cultural exchange, attend Summits, engage in reconciliation dialogue and meet new friends.
What Makes the Tipi Raisers Unique?
Whether we are providing employment, housing repairs, cultural dialogues or humanitarian aid – we execute our work in partnership with the communities we operate in while honoring and amplifying the sacred Indigenous Wisdom inherent in each culture.
Our volunteer service groups work alongside our Native friends and partners to ease conditions of poverty, ride horses together, engage in reconciliation dialogue and learn about one another's cultures. Friends and partners from a variety of Indigenous communities travel to Colorado – and nationally – with the Tipi Raisers to share their culture, history and traditions with schools communities and organizations. Our Gen7 Youth Leadership program provides social/emotional support, builds cultural bridges among the younger generations and empowers and activates the youth around the social change they wish to see in their communities.
